A while ago I wroteabout a great campaign by Nutella allowing you to personalize a Nutella Jar. Recently they went from hero to zero when Ferrero, the maker of Nutella, send a letter to superfan Sara Rosso to request she immediately stopped organising ‘World Nutella Day’ which she started years ago as a tribute to the famous spread. You can read the full story about this strange move by Ferrero here.
Nutella received massive reactions from angry fans all over the world on their Facebook Page (and via other channels), so something had to happen to avoid harm of their brand image. It clearly had an impact on their popularity! On the Facebook Page of Nutella USA, and on the website of World Nutella Day we can now read that they have found a positive resolution…
A case like this shows how careful a brand must be nowadays while protecting their brand assets, and I truly hope other companies will take a lesson from this and won’t make the same mistake. Consumers are extremely powerful, but still their are companies underestimating their direct impact on a brand’s reputation. And yes, most companies are active on social media and have a social media team, but this team is not to blame. Social Media awareness should emerge in all departments, and all departements should understand the advantages and dangers that can come with it, especially the legal department 😉